Tom Bellamy remains in magnificent form after his Cheltenham Festival winner on White Noise earlier this month. Operating at 37% strike rate, Bellamy landed a double at Ascot on Sunday. The first leg came on King Al, who just held off the closing Mojito Des Mottes.
Speaking after the race, via Sporting Life, Bellamy said: “The horses are running so well and as a jockey that makes your life so much easier. This particular horse was talked about as a Triumph Hurdle horse before he ran over hurdles.
“We have learnt about him all the way through. He won on the flat on soft so we just assumed he would handle cut over jumps. But it is a different thing altogether. He won at Ludlow when it was soft, but I made the running and picked my way around.
“We were on nice ground today and that was the way to ride him to get on with it. He likes to be pushed along by the others.
“He jumped well, bar one which he looked at; he is quite tricky as you have to keep the revs up on him. Over the last I was on no stride, but I trusted him enough and he was good and accurate. He knows how to battle and how to win.”
The second leg for Bellamy came on Haas Boy for Chester Williams, who beat his Mothers horse, Authoceltic, into second.
Williams said: ”My first ever runner was him and he beat Authoceltic. It is quite remarkable for the same occurrence to happen.
“The mistake he made at the last would have stopped most horses. But I know he doesn’t do a tap in front. I thought he might still get beaten after the last. But I also thought he had more up his sleeve. When they challenged him he was able to continue and pick up again.”
Gnomon set Sandown target
Elsewhere, Toby Lawes grabbed his first Ascot winner as Gnomon won the opening maiden hurdle. Familiar colours entered the winners enclosure there, owned by Andrew Wates who won the 1996 Grand National with Rough Quest.
“I’m so pleased to get a winner in Andrew’s colours at Ascot,” said Lawes. “His son and children own a third of the horse as well so it is a great family affair. The step up in trip was always going to be a benefit for him. I didn’t want to go up in trip for a maiden unless it was for a bit of a pot. This race came up and it was absolutely perfect.
“His plan is to go to Sandown Park for the novices’ championship final handicap hurdle at Sandown Park. A lovely stiff two
miles I think will suit him well. We discussed the Sandown race for about five minutes before we bought him!”